Major Outlet Ranks Four Bengals On Top-100 Trade Value List

The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia came up with an NFL trade value list of 100 players this week and four Bengals made the cut: Trey Hendrickson (No. 61), Tee Higgins (No. 48), Ja’Marr Chase (No. 12), and Joe Burrow (No. 2) made the list.

Hendrickson just earned a minor contract extension after performing at a consistently high level over the past few seasons.

“When the Bengals signed Hendrickson in 2021, I thought he might be a one-year wonder,” Kapadia wrote.

“Whoops! My bad. Hendrickson’s 35.5 sacks over the last three seasons are fourth in the NFL, and his 78 hits during that span are third, behind only T.J. Watt and Nick Bosa. He’s under contract through 2025. Hendrickson has been far more productive than Bradley Chubb, who netted the Broncos a first-round pick from the Dolphins in a trade last season.”

Higgins is entering a contract season and reportedly looks primed for his most productive NFL campaign yet.

“If you go to your first Football Hipster Society (FHS) party and aren’t sure how to introduce yourself, just start with this: You know who’s really underrated? Tee Higgins. That guy is a dude. True no. 1 in almost any other offense. Oh, and sweet record player! You’ll have immediately earned your bona fides,” Kapadia wrote.

“Higgins has shown he can produce even when Ja’Marr Chase is sidelined. Higgins is 15th in receiving yards over the past three seasons, and this is his age-24 season. Higgins is a pending free agent after 2023, so in theory, any team trading for him would also need to sign him to a contract that will likely be valued at north of $20 million per year.”

Chase is looking to put his 2022 hip injury behind him as Cincinnati’s top playmaker.

“Chase’s 2,501 yards through his first two seasons are the fourth most by a wide receiver during the Super Bowl era,” Kapadia wrote.

“The only wide receivers who have had more through two seasons are Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., and Randy Moss. At his best, Chase is an explosive field stretcher, but he showed last year that he can also do damage in the short and intermediate parts of the field. A top-five wide receiver on a rookie contract for two more seasons? he is a no-brainer at this spot.”

Burrow is working back to full health after his July 27 calf strain and enters the season as one of the NFL’s top-three MVP contenders.

“This ranking is independent of Burrow’s contract status,” Kapadia concluded.

“He’s playing 2023 on the final year of his rookie deal, and barring something completely shocking, he’s in line to get a deal valued at more than $50 million per year. That doesn’t dissuade me. Even on the expected big contract, I still have Burrow second.”